2009-09-14

Bit off topic today, but I need to rant and complain a bit, so bear with me.

My car is a cheap little second-hand Hyundai but I depend on it for my personal freedom, something I am sure other vehicle-owners can understand. I noticed recently and with increasing frequency that the engine was starting to overheat. I took it to get looked at (the diagnosis itself costing me $110) and it turns out "the combustion is leaking into the cooling system" to the estimated tune of $2100. Of course my "comprehensive" insurance does not help me here. So while the threat of imminent engine failure looms over me, I just have to deal with it since I won't be taking it back to the mechanic.

Anyway, we went out for dinner and drinks on Saturday and I actually had something of a good time despite being the designated driver. We got back to my car just before midnight and found that some lummox had smashed up my windscreen (a.k.a. windshield). The glass was traumatised across its entire length such that it was no longer transparent and I couldn't safely drive us home. Thanks to some very generous friends (and their incredibly patient parents) we eventually returned home and I called it a night.

I spent most of Sunday trying to figure out what my best options were. Do I strip any identifying features (such as my license plates) and just abandon my wretched coupe? My insurance premium would set me back $500 if I had them deal with the situation. Getting the glass removed safely (allowing me to drive it away) would cost $300, which is oddly close to the cost of getting the windscreen replaced ($400). I opted for the latter, since having a car and not having to catch the bus to work is worth more to me than dumping the car and possibly having the city take legal action against me.

This brings me to what I did today. Due to a little bungling, the glass folk failed to call me to confirm when they said they would. I waited all morning and after several phone calls got them to meet me at the car to carry out the work after lunch. This has yet to happen, of course, but let's all just assume that I'm going to be back on track by tonight. /beg

To sum up, some fool breaks my window, gets away with a bruise (and maybe a scratch) and goes about their business. I, on the other hand, am stuck with the choice of several expensive options, and having lost most of my Sunday and Monday. /sigh

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